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News

The IEP Team Process

IEP Team Process Video Series
IEP season is upon us. Everyone seems to be preparing for their IEP meetings. Educators and parents alike are planning the document that will provide the guidance for their child’s education into the next school year. Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center has created some good video explanations of the IEP Process. As you watch, keep in mind that not all of their forms will be identical to Tennessee or Georgia’s forms, but the federal laws they discuss will be the same.

Supports, Modifications, and Accommodations for Students

“For many students with disabilities—and for many without—the key to success in the classroom lies in having appropriate adaptations, accommodations, and modifications made to the instruction and other classroom activities.”

“Adaptations, accommodations, and modifications need to be individualized for students, based upon their needs and their personal learning styles and interests. It is not always obvious what adaptations, accommodations, or modifications would be beneficial for a particular student, or how changes to the curriculum, its presentation, the classroom setting, or student evaluation might be made. This page is intended to help teachers and others find information that can guide them in making appropriate changes in the classroom based on what their students need.”

How Educators & Support Professionals Can Help Families

Barbara Doyle and Emily Doyle Iland provide some great ideas to aid educators and support professionals in making a real difference as they support families affected by special needs. While this article was written about families affected by autism spectrum diagnoses, the ideas here can actually apply to most families regardless of the diagnosis involved. These ideas can be found at John Hopkins School of Education.

Resource Review: The Caregiver’s Notebook

Resource Review: The Caregiver’s Notebook by Jolene Philo

After just a few months of caregiving for a medically complex child, I had tried several different ways to organize Emily’s information before I arrived at a method that has now worked for us for many years. Recently Jolene Philo shared with LifeLine her new resource, The Caregiver’s Notebook, and I know it will be helpful for many families facing the same confusion that I did in those early days.

The Caregiver’s Notebook is a spiral notebook with multiple divisions for organizing various types of records in one handy location. Each topical division or chapter is tabbed for quick and easy access. Let’s take a quick tour and I’ll point out the highlights and some things that caught my attention because of my own documentation needs.

Joyce Herzog – Legacy of Educating Children with Special Needs

Joyce Herzog is a gifted teacher and author of many educational products that simplify teaching for you and learning for your students. Joyce taught classrooms of learning disabled students in private and public schools for many years and has been working with homeschooling families for two decades. She has addressed rapt audiences of appreciative parents and teachers all across the United States and Canada. Joyce continues to reach the world through her writing, tutoring in her local area and long-distance email and telephone consultations.

✦ Dr. Joyce Herzog holds a permanent professional certificate to teach K-8 with an endorsement in Learning Disabilities.

✦ She taught elementary and learning disabled students for twenty-five years in public and private schools.

✦ Joyce has served homeschoolers through speaking, authoring, and consultations for more than twenty-five years.

Volunteer Advocacy Project Recertification Training

Graduates of the past six years of the Volunteer Advocacy Project will be reuniting for a recertification and update on some new special education regulations. These regulations will have significant impact and all VAP graduates need to make plans to attend.

Beth Smith from Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP), Inc. will be meeting with families in our office from 8:30 to noon on April 16th. She will take an appointment at 8:30-9:30, 9:30-10:30, and 11-12. This is a free opportunity to have a "mini IEP Consultation" with STEP staff regarding your child's IEP or 504 plan. If you would like one of these appointment times, please contact Lisa Mattheiss to register your time.